How do you cook bacon?

[SheilaAnn]

CI with one of those spatter screens.

[Oak Smoke]

I’m going to have to find an XL splatter screen.

[glitchy]

This is pretty much the only way I cook it anymore. On a foil lined pan with a rack on the pellet grill.

[Sid P]

👍 Just got my pellet grill, and I’ll do it this way next time.

[MBMorgan]

Very slowly, using just barely enough heat to get the job done ... typically in a 12" skillet ... usually nonstick but not always.

[Oak Smoke]

That would really cut down on the mess.

[mrteddyprincess]

Yeah, I don't notice a lot of splatter with a CI skillet. I am a low and slow bacon cooking kind of guy!

[ofelles]

CI12 or 15 is my favorite. But occasionally I will use my 6qt deep sauté pan.

[Potkettleblack]

foiled sheet pan. shiny side up, maybe.

[jfmorris]

We used to do it in the oven, have done in the skillet of course. If I am cooking a lot, the backyard griddle is the way to go. I can do 3 to 4 pounds at once on the Camp Chef 6 burner griddle. In the oven, I find it makes more mess than I would like, and we don't have a self cleaning oven...

[Troutman]

Nekid .... although the scaring is getting difficult to hid. I often refer to them as "bacon kisses" !!

[Oak Smoke]

That’s funny!

[STEbbq]

Sheet pan plus foil in oven or smoker at 400 or so for 20 minutes is the most efficient for a pound of Wright’s.

[DaveD]

I use my pellet smoker and these nifty A-frame bacon stands from Pit Boss (but there are other makers too). 2 hours at 225F/110C, and the grease all collects in the tray/gutters at the bottom. Did this just today in fact for some killer BLTs. I won't cook it any other way, getting some smoke on there is awesome. No reason you couldn't use these on any smoker though, provided you have space (not sure they'd fit in the kettle, haven't checked).

You do want to remove the bacon from the stands as soon as you bring them in from the smoker, when they lift right off. I then put the stands on a sheet pan and into the back fridge to cool & coagulate the grease, then scoop it out & save for cooking to replenish my smoked bacon grease supply as needed. I think the stands go for about 20 bucks a pair if memory serves.

Edit: Alan Brice's post reminded me I meant to include that for cleanup, after I remove the grease from the channels, I then rinse them with hot water in the sink and pop them in the dishwasher. They come out nice and clean. Can't do that with a CI!

[DaveD]

STEbbq No, that's all they're for. But they stack snugly, and I have space on the shelves I have up in the garage for them to sit (I stuff stray plastic bags in the space under them to use for disposing of ash from my kettle). And they're pretty reasonably priced. No brainer for me, after tasting the results...

[Alan Brice]

Mine go in the electric smoker, that has not seen the light of day since the PBC.

[Potkettleblack]

I put a few strips of bacon around the margin of the Grilla when making a burger or similar, 40 mins at 225-275... just brilliant with the thick Wright or Hormel Extra Thick.

[Redwng]

Sheet pan in the oven, BS griddle outside, Weber gasser or the air fryer. The air fryer is the fastest and easiest and it takes 6 minutes. Good luck in your search.

[58limited]

When I worked fast food we cooked bulk bacon in the oven using a perforated sheet pan set on top of another sheet pan to catch the grease:

https://www.amazon.com/Focus-Foodservice-Commercial-Perforated-Bottom-Sheet/dp/B0073RMGI2/ref=sr_1_9?crid=3KB4KAHP2MJBO&keywords=perforated+sheet+pan+commercial&qid=1689893491&sprefix=perforated+sheet+pan+commercial%2Caps%2C167&sr=8-9

[Oak Smoke]

Good idea.

[Alan Brice]

DaveD has the ticket. I have two of these.
saves all the by product. Will do six slices each w/o touching. Spatula makes for easy cleanup. Smoker is best. Menards had these. Not expensive,SS.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

my go to lately has been on my MAK, 200-375 depending on what I'm doing... no bacon press, full pack of bacon in one go, and I can focus on other parts of the meal. Obviously higher temps yield crispier bacon, but when I go low my wife will take her pieces and nuke for less than a minute which yields shattering bacon if that's your jam. No mess, no smelly house, no 2-3 separate pan cooks on our stove.

I did do a batch on the flat top, but ours is small and couldn't do a large full pack of bacon in one go and the results were uneven and required lots of attention and a press woulda been handy.

On the oven I have to do multiple pans, there's grease splatter, and a press would be nice but I don't have any square pans... however there is a tradeoff not using this method as it's the only one that yields usable grease to save unless ya use a disposable loaf pan on the griddle I guess.

[WillTravelForFood]

Raw, in blender with cream and sugar. Load up the ice cream maker with the custard, and instant bacon ice cream!

alternative, coat in maple syrup and place on sheet pan. Use a hand held torch to lightly char the syrup sugar for candied bacon.

get a chateaubriand and wrap it with strips of bacon, put it one the grill Rottesserie and cook until done.


disclaimer: haven’t tried any of the above methods.

[ssennott]

I use a microwave or the outdoor flat top